Question from Reddit user:
I’m running a few campaigns in Google Ads.
– I have a couple App Install campaigns that are tracking app installs nicely.
– I also have a couple Video/youtube-specific campaigns that are getting good engagements, but reporting zero conversions (I want to still drive the app installs here).
Is it just that my Video campaigns are turning zero conversions (possible, but seems I would have got at least a few by now even if they weren’t super effective), or do Video campaigns somehow not tie in with App Installs as conversions??
Google support was useless in answering this.
Thanks!
Answer from Nabil:
The short answer is:
Yes, you absolutely can and should track app installs from your Video (YouTube) campaigns, but the reason you’re seeing zero conversions is likely due to the default conversion tracking setup for Video campaigns, which relies on View-Through Conversions (VTCs) and Engaged-View Conversions (EVCs), not just clicks.
You need to ensure your App Install conversion event in Google Ads is correctly configured to accept these View-Through and Engaged-View actions and that you’re using a proper Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) or the Firebase SDK for the conversion reporting.
The immediate solution is to verify your Google Ads conversion settings for the app install event and check your MMP or Firebase data for view-through attribution.
The long answer is:
Your observation that your Video campaigns are showing good engagement but zero app installs, while your dedicated App Install campaigns are tracking installs nicely, points directly to a common issue with how cross-network and video-specific conversion paths are measured in Google Ads.
Dedicated App campaigns are built to optimize for and track the first_open or in_app_purchase event seamlessly because they are native to the app environment.
However, standard Video campaigns treat conversions differently.
For YouTube, a conversion is often attributed as a View-Through Conversion (VTC) if a user sees the ad but doesn’t click, then later installs the app, or an Engaged-View Conversion (EVC) if they watch the video for at least 10 seconds or to the end, then convert within the lookback window.
If your app install conversion action in Google Ads is only set to count on a click or is missing the necessary settings for these view-based metrics, you will incorrectly report zero conversions.
Google Ads support was useless because this is a complex attribution issue, not a simple technical setting.
The ultimate, excellent solution to guarantee accurate attribution for these View-Through and Engaged-View conversions is to build a robust, consolidated tracking infrastructure using the Firebase SDK, Google Analytics for Firebase, the Google Ads API, and a dedicated MMP like AppsFlyer.
The Firebase SDK is the foundation, capturing all user interactions and the final first_open event within the app and sending it to Google Analytics for Firebase.
This tool is crucial because it provides the essential, unified view of app events that Google Ads relies on.
An MMP like AppsFlyer then plays the critical role of the neutral third party, performing sophisticated probabilistic and deterministic matching to bridge the gap between the ad view/click and the install event, especially for VTCs where no click occurred.
The MMP can ingest data from the ad network and the app (via the SDK) and stitch together the user journey, ensuring proper credit for the Video campaign.
Finally, the Google Ads API allows you to programmatically pull highly granular data that may not be exposed in the standard UI, including the conversion data attributed by the MMP, or to push the correctly attributed conversions directly into Google Ads, bypassing any potential native tracking limitations and giving you full confidence in your video campaign performance.
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